THE TOWN OF WESTCHESTER. 373 



acquaint the Society " that they have purchased a glebe of near thirty 

 acres, with a house, which, when they have repaid Mr. Milner the ex- 

 pense he lias been at, will cost them, in the whole, near seven hundred 

 pounds, which they spend with great cheerfulness, as their minister's 

 behaviour has very much endeared him to the people ; and his diligence 

 has been attended with such success, that whole families of Quakers — 

 the only dissenters in this parish — have conformed to the Church. Mr. 

 Milner has baptized, within the year, seventy-two whites, and nineteen 

 black infants ; and has fifty communicants. a 



Mr. Milner continued his services in the parish, until the fail of 1765, 

 as appears by the following extract from a letter of Mr. John Bartow, to 

 the Bishop of London : — 



Bokougii of Westchester, ix the Provixcb 

 of New York, Oct. 15th, 1765- 

 "The Honourable Society's Missionarj r for our parish of Westchester has left 

 us. I expect the vestry of this parish will soon address the Honourable Society 

 for the continuance of their favours ; and I beg your loidship's care and protec- 

 tion over us, and that you will assist in sending a faithful minister to reside here. 

 I suppose our vestry may nominate, but still there may want inspection."^ 



For what reason Mr. Milner resigned his benefice, does not now verv 

 clearly appear. It is not improbable, however, that the large sum of 

 money expended by him on the glebe, may have had some connection 

 with his leaving. In 1766, he was settled rector of the Isle of Wight 

 and Southampton, in Virginia. In 1768. he addressed the following 

 letter to the Secretary : — 



MR. MILNER TO THE SECRETARY. 



[extract. ] 

 Newport Parish, Isle of Wight, Feb. 3rd, 176S. 

 Rev. Sir: — "I am very sorry to inform you that the people of Westchester 

 pay very little regard, either to their promises, or the Society's expectations ; for 

 I am informed by my lawyer that they absolutely refuse to refund me one penny 

 of all the money I have expended on their glebe, which, without the repairs and 

 buildings I made, would have been entirely useless. I am now settled in Vir- 

 ginia, where the Church is established in reality, and some certain provision 

 made for the clergy, etc." c 



"In 1766," says Bishop Mead, "the Rev. Mr. Milner is the minister 

 of the parishes in the Isle of Wight and Southampton, and resigns in 



a Printed abstracts of Ven. Prop. Soc, from 17th Feb. 17W, to 15th Feb. 17G5. 

 b New York M8S., from archives at Fulham, vil. ii., 330-332. (Hawks'. 

 c Ditto, val. ii., 44G. 



